Bava Batra 172 – Two Brothers, One Poor and One Rich

If there were two brothers, one poor and one rich, and their father died and left them a bathhouse or an olive press, then if the father made those properties for renting, the brothers can divide the rent. However, if they were made for personal use, the rich brother can insist that they are kept for shared use, even though the poor brother cannot take advantage of it. The rich brother can say to him, "Buy slaves so that they should use the bathhouse; buy olives and press them."

If there were two men in the same town, and their names were Yosef ben Shimon, they could not produce a loan document for collection against each other because each could claim that he was the lender, and nobody could collect from one of them. Therefore, they should add their grandfather's name or some distinguishing sign.

Art: Lucas and Cornelis de Wae by Antoon Van Dyck